Introduction

Introduction Witches call to us from thresholds, crossroads, sea- shores, swamps, and mountain tops. Fairy-tale witches beckon from within wild forests. Urban witches mingle in stores stocked with candles, crystals, statues, and mysterious books. Witches fly through the air and dig twisted roots from the ground. Beautiful witches dance beneath the stars. Robed magicians chant in arcane tongues. Alluring witches ensorcell with the power of potions. Cadaverous hags stir steaming cauldrons. Flower- and pentacle-bedecked witches celebrate the seasons. Hideous witches lurk in horror films, working their wiles anddefinitely up to no good. Witches peep out of greeting cards. They appear in advertising for hosiery, alcoholic beverages, and 6 The Weiser Field Guide to Witches sandwich meat. They commandeer the pages of comic books, appearing in the guise of both villain and hero- ine. Witches consistently steal the show in movies and television, whether live-action or animated. The bviouslyo witchy dress in black and wear peaked hats. Other witches remain resolutely discreet, appearing totally ordinary and nondescript: nothing about their appearance reveals that they are witches. Witches gather herbs, draw down the moon, roll in morning dew, commune with animal familiars, perform magical feats and miracles of healing, live harmoniously with nature, and impose their will upon others. Witches hex, bless, curse, and remove curses cast by others. So, what exactly is a witch? How can you recognize one? Is it possible that you are one? A field guide is a book intended to help readers identify living beings or objects of natural occurrence (sea shells, for example). This may be a straightforward task when it comes to identifying butterflies or wild flowers, but witches are another story. Witches defy simple classification. Since the earliest days of humanity, witches have been admired, adored, loved, feared, trusted, mis- trusted, loathed, persecuted, killed, lusted after, and worshipped. Every culture around the world acknowl- edges the existence of witches, or at the very least recognizes some kind of witch. Witches inspire, in one form or another, every creative art: theater, music, Introduction 7 paintings, dance, cinema, television, literature, and so forth. Witches appear in the most ancient myths and folklore. As brand new forms of entertainment, such as video games, emerge, witches continue to make their presence felt. As time marches on, witches are more prevalent, not less. Even so, attempts to define exactly who—or what—witches are consistently leads to confusion and impassioned argument. Although very many are convinced that they know the true definition of “witch,” their many definitions contradict each others’. Part of the problem is that one little word—“witch”—has evolved into an umbrella term encompassing many different concepts. A “witch” is commonly defined as someone who practices magical arts, a spell-caster, or occultist. Many understand “witch” to be a synonym for “magic user.” Other synonyms include enchantress, sorcerer and sorcer- ess, wizard, magician, mage, magus, and its feminine counterpart, maga. A host of comparable words exist in multitudes of languages. The magical arts are a broad field, not restricted to the casting of spells. Historically, at one time or another, alchemists, astrologers, mediums, seers, and fortune-tellers have all been classified as witches, although some would object to this classification. Some people do not differentiate between shamans and witches; others do. Over the centuries, the term “witch” has also encompassed midwives, herbalists, and other 8 The Weiser Field Guide to Witches traditional healers. Healing and midwifery were once perceived as magical professions even though they may not be perceived that way today. Some consider devotees of the Wiccan religion to be witches, regardless of whether or not a particular individual casts spells. Some perceive witches as those who live harmoniously with Earth’s natural rhythms and resent the automatic association of witches with the occult. Yet according to still others, magic isn’t what witches do; it’s what they are. Some define witches as members of a special magical race living amongst humans. Witches may look like people, but that resemblance is only superficial. Witches have superpowers that are innate or inherited. These witches are commonly found in popular culture; the TV shows Bewitched and Charmed and the Harry Potter series spring to mind. Introduction 9 Although some people consider this type of witch sheer fantasy, others sincerely believe that they exist. East Asian lore takes this concept one step further: just as some people possess superpowers, so do some animals. Certain animal species, especially cats, foxes, and snakes, may also produce witches. The truly pow- erful are shape-shifters who can convincingly assume human form. These animal witches tend to be female, which un- derscores another common perception about witches. Many consider witches and women to be intrinsically linked, although whether positively or negatively so is in the eye of the beholder. Some perceive any sexy woman to be a “witch”; she’s literally bewitching. This might be meant as a compliment, but it could also be construed as a warning. At times when women’s beauty was perceived as danger- ous—and in some places today—alluring women have sometimes been accused of being witches. The roots of the practice of veiling women may lie in attempts to protect vulnerable men from witches’ wicked wiles. To some, the word “witch” is a compliment, a badge of honor. Witches are emblematic of a certain kind of innate female power. A “witchy woman” is a creative, confident, resilient, indefatigable woman, walking her own path, comfortable in her own skin, in control of her own sexuality, beholden to no one. Yet to others, “witch” is a potent insult. The word is frequently used to describe a defiant woman, one who 10 The Weiser Field Guide to Witches doesn’t know “her place,” as well as any mean-spirited, nasty woman, regardless of magical skill or power. Many perceive “witch” as but a rhyming synonym for “bitch.” In the 1939 MGM movie musical The Wizard of Oz, actress Margaret Hamilton portrays two char- acters: the green-skinned, black-hatted, magical prac- titioner called the Wicked Witch of the West, and the despised spinster neighbor, Miss Gulch. Both charac- ters are referred to as witches. Although historically many have been falsely accused of being witches, in fact, witches do exist: many different kinds of witches. Yes, of course, there are folk-tale witches and fairy-tale witches, literary witches and Hollywood witches. But most especially, there are countless living, breathing witches who bear that title with pride. That doesn’t mean that witches are easily pigeon- holed. Witches come in all shapes, sizes, ages, colors, ethnicities, and genders. Witches live in every commu- nity and around the world. Some follow ancient paths; others forge and pioneer brand new ways. There are Luddite witches and techno-witches, witches who have emerged from the secrecy of the broom closet and witches who fiercely guard their privacy. Witches belong to every political party and subscribe to many political creeds, from the most liberal to the archconservative. Historically, there have been fascist witches, anarchist witches, and monarchist witches. Introduction 11 Witches observe many religions and walk many spiritual paths. Although many modern witches are Wiccans, others have no religious affiliation, consider- ing themselves atheists or agnostics. Still others identify themselves as Pagans, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, and virtually any other religion that can be named. Although many find the concept of Christian witches contradictory, others do not. Witches cannot be identified solely by appearance. A witch costume (black dress, peaked hat and often a broom) has been among the most popular Halloween costumes for generations, yet many who don the garb of the witch on that holiday would laugh if it were sug- gested that they were witches. What then, do witches have in common? Is there a common denominator that unites these diverse people? Is there something that is intrinsic to being a witch? In fact, there is. Witches of all kinds certainly do share something in common. The clue to what they share is hidden in the word “witch” itself. Rather than by apparel or appearance, a witch’s identity is defined by something within. The nglishE word witch derives from an Anglo- Saxon root word, wicce (feminine form) or wicca (mas- culine form), meaning “wise one.” (The wordWicca derives from the same source.) Witchcraft is the craft of the wise. Witches are the wise ones; the ones who know. Witches are knowledge seekers. 12 The Weiser Field Guide to Witches To know is not the same as being smart or educated. What witches possess or strive to attain is deep spiritual knowledge, the wisdom of Earth, sea, and stars. Witches are privy to Earth’s secrets. They possess knowledge of traditional lore whose roots first emerged in the depths of time. Words in many languages acknowledge this concept of the witch as someone who possesses deep knowledge. For example, ved’ma, a Russian word for “witch”, translates as “one who knows.” The Congolese word nganga is translated as “witch,” although a more accurate translation might be “medium”; someone who serves as a bridge to the spirit world. This word derives from a Kikongo language root word meaning “knowledge” or “skill” but with the specific implication of spiritual and magical knowledge. Basic, universal magical theory suggests that every- thing that exists exerts and radiates some type of magic power. Different species, individuals, things, colors, fragrances, and objects all radiate their own unique powers. (No, this has not been scientifically proven, but bear in mind that until the very end of the 19th century the existence of radioactivity was unproven and was, in fact, pooh-poohed by very many distinguished and educated scientists.

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